Comic Book Artist Kristian Donaldson On His Craft, Bicycles And Estate Shopping

Welcome to the latest edition of our ongoing photo feature, Profiles In Pictures. Every couple of weeks, esteemed photographer Sara Kerens gives us another view of a local creative, and we ask them a set of standard questions to give us some further insight into their world in their own words.

This week, we were invited into the home of local comic book artist and illustrator Kristian Donaldson, known for a litany of work ranging from graphic novels with the Vertigo imprint to illustrations for Phillipe Starck (and, the Dallas Observer, of course). Check out the photos and Q&A after the jump.

Who are you, what do you do, who do you do it for, and where do you do it? I'm Kristian Donaldson. I draw comic books freelance from my home studio here in Dallas. I've been doing it 7 years now. I've worked for Marvel, DC/ Vertigo, Image, IDW, and Dark Horse. I'm best Known for the books Supermarket and DMZ, with the writer Brian Wood. I have a graphic novel from Vertigo coming out on Aug 17 called 99 Days. I just signed on to do The Massive, a new book, once again with Brian Wood.

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What do you find the most satisfying about what you do, and why? When I get a script, and look at it for the first time, there's this voice that says, "How the hell are you going to draw this? This is all impossible." And then I just sit down and figure it out. Once a page is done, you realize that you're capable of pulling this stuff out, and you'll be able to do it again. I also like the reactions I get when I tell people what I do. Sometimes they're shocked or fascinated that this is an actual job.

What is your favorite tool/special resource that allows you to do what you do?Wacom Cintiq. Changed my life.

What do you enjoy the most to do when you're not creating/working? It's mostly bikes, the riding of and obsessive modification of. Sometimes I go estate sale shopping with my girlfriend Esther, who runs a Dallas-centric estate sale blog digsdallas.com. Other than that it's bars, pools, and watching lots of movies.

If you could snap your fingers and immediately possess the knowledge/skills of an entirely different discipline, what would that be, and why? I would direct films. What I do in the pages of comic books is analogous to directing, but shorthanded for the medium. To have the skill and resources to get an individual vision to the screen would be the ultimate.

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